Sombre – In the Shadows of our Time

Description

Can the love of beauty turn into cruelty?
In many of her works, the celebrated Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023) engaged with ambivalent cultural personalities to explore how destructive tendencies can arise not at the fringes of a culture, but from its very core. She focused on two historical figures: the poet Ezra Pound, an aesthete who became a supporter of fascism, and the painter Paul Gauguin, whose experiences in Tahiti were marked by controversial idealizations. Saariaho encourages us to question collective shadows and to consider those 'paradises' that people attempt to create for themselves.
As the title of Kaija Saariaho's chamber music work 'Sombre' suggests, memory cultures are also ambivalent constructs that people ultimately cling to.
As a tribute to the composer and pioneer of electroacoustic music, the production brings together Saariaho's closest family and artistic circle. Directed by Aleksi Barrière, Jean-Baptiste Barrière and Cécile Marti present two Swiss premieres, while Asia Ahmetjanova offers a world premiere in a touching dialogue with Saariaho's chamber music. Participants and additional information:
Aleksi Barrière (Direction/Text/Video); Jean-Baptiste Barrière (Composition/Sound Design/Video); Cécile Marti (Composition); Lea Vaterlaus (Dramaturgy); Robert Koller (Bass Baritone); Eija Kankaanranta (Kantele); Camilla Hoitenga (Flute); Aleksander Gabrys (Double Bass); Fritz Hauser (Percussion); Étienne Exbrayat (Lighting); Gary Berger (Audio/Video Coordination); Jens Schubbe (Production Management)